Yes, photos and home movies can reveal so much.

All our family photos seem to be staged, where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.

for me it was the DVD that an older brother had made for all of us kids. He gave all of us it for Christmas a couple years ago. I had such great validation from the DVD. For all my life I've argued with myself about feelings of rejection and that I shouldn't feel that way, that I'm just being ungreatful, that it wasn't THAT bad. then......

these movies from before my birth(I'm the youngest of a large family) to when I was a year old(that's when the movie taking stopped as my dad went full force into his addiction and the mother had her own mental illnesses) revealed much to me, I couldn't believe it. How i was left all alone on a blanket, as a golden sister got the limelight-- on EVERY film!!(my husband noticed this first) and the expression of terror/worry on my infant face when family members would come near me, looks like I'm about to cry every time.... it's hard to watch actually. (the family always called me "loser" and "boring" coz I didn't partake in things and was very withdrawn, I was never close or played with any of my siblings-- huh, still am withdrawn)

..... home movies have validated some of the deep feelings I have and the struggles I deal with everyday.

ugh... relationships..... closeness..... emotions..... those make me feel sick to my stomach........

thanks for posting this and allowing me to share, as I imagine others may find some answers in their photos/movies too.

was wondering........ what did YOU learn from your family photos?

fins